Better than the Alternative

A leading Muslim scholar in Britain issued a fatwa Tuesday condemning terrorists and suicide bombers, saying they had no justification in the name of Islam.
Pakistan-born Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri said there were no “ifs or buts” about terrorism, in a news conference attended by officers from London’s Metropolitan Police, lawmakers, charitable organisations and think-tanks.
He said he wanted to convey the message that acts of terrorism cut people off as true followers of Islam.
“They can’t claim that their suicide bombings are martyrdom operations and that they become the heroes of the Muslim Umma (the wider Muslim community). No, they become heroes of hellfire, and they are leading towards hellfire.
“There is no place for any martyrdom and their act is never, ever to be considered jihad,” he added.
Qadri said his 600-page fatwa, or religious ruling, was an “absolute” condemnation of terrorism without “any excuses or pretexts”.

Obviously this is the kind of thing we need more of. It’s an odd religion, though, where mass murder is a subject of theological debate.